LinkedIn Sales Navigator Economic Impact Study

Sales teams reported significant benefits from the search filters, list management, analytical capabilities, and accurate, up-to-date profiles provided by Sales Navigator. These features enabled them to efficiently identify and reach out to qualified prospects in less time. As a result, they observed improvements in response rates, increased meeting rates, and an increase in closed/won opportunities.

Sales Navigator not only contributed to increased annual revenue by sourcing more high-quality pipeline, but also was increasingly influential in closing sales deals. Interviewees reported an average year-over-year revenue increase of 8% (5% in year 1, 8% in year 2, and 10% in year 3), and also found that the revenue lift attributable to Sales Navigator grew from 20% to 30% over a 3-year period.

Better outreach, better outcomes

Interviewees reported Sales Navigator provided the level of foresight necessary to identify and engage with a greater volume of high-value prospects with intent to buy.



Based on a US$250M annual revenue and 12% net operating profit margin, Forrester modeled a US$1.3 million gain in net operating profit due to the increase in sales opportunities.

Improves with age

Forrester's study found that as sales professionals' familiarity with Sales Navigator increases over time, and the platform becomes more embedded in an organization's sales process, its influence on positive sales outcomes also grows. Based on testimony from the interviewees, our composite models a 20% revenue attribution to Sales Navigator in year 1, 25% in year 2, and 30% in year 3. This amounts to a US$15 million revenue lift attributable to Sales Navigator in that period.

Forrester found that by gaining access to more accurate profile data and replacing contact scraping and cold calling practices, the sales teams within the decision-makers’ organizations experienced significant efficiency improvements. 

The study concluded that Sales Navigator users (principally AEs and BDRs) saved 15% of their time each week in research-related activities. Access to 1+ billion professional profiles and 60+ million businesses on the LinkedIn deep sales platform, and the means to easily search and organize the information, saved the composite organization over US$2.6 million over a 3-year period in efficiency savings.

Account exec to development rep ratio

For the financial modeling, and based on the interview testimony, Forrester assumes the ratio of Account Executives (AEs) to Business or Sales Development Reps (BDRs / SDRs) stands at 10:3. 

Quality data at your fingertips

Forrester found that before adopting Sales Navigator, the interviewees' sales teams struggled with sales tools that were limited, and lacked essential features such as filtering and search capabilities. However, when they used Sales Navigator and its features (e.g., Lead Search, Account Hub), interviewee companies testified that their total time conducting sales research was reduced from 25% to just 10%.

According to Forrester, the interviewees found the integration capability of Sales Navigator with CRM platforms enabled their sales organizations to synchronize data seamlessly. This ensured that leads, updates, and activities were accurately tracked in real-time within their sales pipelines. As a result, the teams experienced increased productivity by eliminating the need to switch between applications to perform similar tasks.

The study concluded that Sales Navigator users each saved 65 hours every year by using the platform, and could eliminate one legacy sales tool from their tech stack, saving the composite organization over US$2.3 million over a 3-year period in productivity savings.

Time is money

Due to the integration with the CRM, all Sales Navigator users save at least 15 minutes per day toggling between sales tools, for a total time savings of 65 hours per year per user. At a fully burdened Account Executive cost of US$66/hr, Forrester calculated that this enhanced sales productivity saved our composite company over US$1 million every year.

Out with the old

Decision-makers highlighted during the interviews that adopting Sales Navigator meant they could eliminate legacy tools from their sales tech stacks, leading to additional cost savings for their organizations. This was calculated to save the composite organization an average of US$200/year per user.

According to the interviewees, the ability to leverage reliable, auto-reported profile data is a powerful value-add and helps drive the efficiencies experienced by their sales teams. The LinkedIn network now stands at 1+ billion people, and 60+ million businesses, making it the definitive source of trusted professional data.

LinkedIn continually seeks to maintain the integrity of our data, while prioritizing the user experience and protecting the privacy of our members. More than 7 million members have verified who they are or where they work, many using new integrations with Microsoft Entra, as well as CLEAR and Hyperverge**

Sales Navigator reveals colleague relationships at a prospect's company. Current and former coworkers can provide insights, reach out to their connections, and make warm introductions, generally more effective than the cold-call approach. 

Features such as Alerts can proactively inform sales professionals when there is a change or development about a sales lead, providing buyer foresight that enables warm, personalized outreach. LinkedIn data shows that messages sent over the platform (InMails) have a higher response rate than traditional methods, they are 3x more likely to be accepted than a cold call, and 6x more than email.**

Have you heard of TeamLink? Customers who have a Sales Navigator Advanced or Advanced Plus account also have access to TeamLink, which is a tool that allows you to view your team's connections. TeamLink utilizes the power of your entire team's network to help you find the best path to a lead by showing you Sales Navigator license holders on your team account who are 1st-degree connections to the lead, even if you're not connected to your teammate. With this information, you can easily see who can help you connect with potential leads and make a warm introduction.

Interviewees discussed Sales Navigator features that track lead activity and alert team members when prospects show interest with an intent to buy. Examples of intent-to-buy activities include responding to InMail, viewing the seller’s profile, or viewing the seller’s employees’ profiles. The ability to view these actions on a buyer intent dashboard helps the organizations’ sales teams prioritize accounts and focus on those prospects most likely to engage.

With advanced insights, unique search and filter options, and real-time updates, users can improve account data organization and streamline their sales pipeline management. Manipulating organized data helps unlock previously undiscovered opportunities, leading to improved outcomes and increased conversion rates. Moreover, Sales Navigator offers a scalable, flexible, upgradable product allowing for an increase in functionality and users according to business needs and direction.